Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transaxle provided with a brake having layered friction elements.
Related Art
As disclosed by JP 2000-289588 A, there is a well-known conventional vehicle, such as an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), equipped with a transaxle. This transaxle includes a transaxle casing that incorporates a mechanical transmission including a reduction gear train and a differential gear unit. The transaxle casing is externally provided with a brake, so that it is unnecessary to additionally have a space, a supporting member, a casing, and a drive train for arranging the brake outside of the transaxle casing. The brake of the transaxle is a wet frictional brake in which layered frictional elements, such as frictional discs or steel plates, are adapted to be pressed against one another to brake a shaft in the transaxle casing. In the transaxle casing, a chamber incorporating the brake is formed separately from a chamber incorporating the mechanical transmission.
To change the capacity of the brake, it is conceivable to change the radius, material or number of layered frictional elements. To achieve such a change of layered frictional elements in radius, material or number, the transaxle casing has to be exchanged for another transaxle casing having a chamber suitable to the changed radius, material or number of layered frictional elements, thereby hindering standardization of the transaxle casing and the like, and thereby increasing the cost for inventory control of component parts, especially, different transaxle casings.